Welcome to the Blue Heaven: Jimmy Nielsen

The Kansas City Public Library hosts Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper and captain Jimmy Nielsen for the launch of his new memoir Welcome to the Blue Heaven.

Nielsen was once scouted by Manchester United and a host of other leading European clubs, but his career was derailed by a gambling habit that earned him the nickname “Casino Jimmy.”

He managed to piece his life back together and started a record 398 games for Aalborg, the team he supported as a boy; but he was ready for a change and contemplating retirement when he received a call from Kansas City in 2010 to play for a team that he did know existed until that very moment.